


Different (or Similar) Strokes

by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Divergence, Muggles, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, University, light fluff, light humor, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 01:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19074814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns/pseuds/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: Remus finds something that leads him to something, and someone, unexpected...but not completely unwelcomed.





	Different (or Similar) Strokes

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate!AU - soulmates have the same handwriting

Remus entered the Great Hall Cafe on campus. Typically, his friends would be accompanying him with laughs and prank plans, but he’d gone on his own in effort to think clearly about his upcoming assignment in Animal Studies, but thinking turned into stressing

The tea from the cafe always quelled him, so he bought one and sat down at the first empty table he found near the windows. Once settled, Remus gingerly sipped his tea while letting his thoughts wander, though it didn’t last for long when his eye caught a mahogany book resting at the end of the table. 

Curiosity got the better of Remus, and he reached for the object, finding the front cover blank. He frowned, confused as to why he didn’t notice it before and how someone would leave a book like that lying around. 

He opened it to the first page, his eyes tracing the lines of words that were found there. 

_ This is it. Freshman Year of Founders University. I’m rather excited to start this next chapter in my life, to see where it takes me for my future. I’m fully prepared to complete the next few years as efficiently as possible. Mom thinks it’s a brilliant idea to record this experience, so here I am.  _

Remus panicked, the entry becoming clear. This was someone’s  _ journal _ . Something was off, though, as he looked at the strokes of the letters. He fumbled for the to-do list he’d written in his pocket and compared the writings.

Their handwriting was  _ exactly  _ alike.  _ It couldn’t be _ . Without hesitation, Remus found the next entry to read. 

_ A student in Chemistry tried to ask me for my essay so they could ‘compare notes’. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know a slacker when I see one, and you, Michael Corner, are a slacker. I declined and told him what would happen to his reputation if he asked such a thing again. Needless to say, Michael and I sit far from one another. Mom will call that ironic.  _

Remus scratched his cheek subconsciously, hoping to remember a Michael Corner. Unfortunately, he didn’t–it  _ was  _ a large campus–and Remus was a Junior, so it wasn’t unrealistic. Anyhow, he kept reading. 

_ I like facts and things that can be proven. Yet, I’m hankering for something, for someone. I have friends and family that love me. It’s rather frustrating to feel this way and have no idea what to do about it. That isn’t right or fair. Mom mentioned the belief of real soulmates, but it’s impractical; wanting to feel whole with a potential stranger is purely illogical… Even so, the feeling won’t go away.  _

The unmistakable handwriting...yearning for someone...soulmates? Before Remus could continue his reading, someone cleared their throat in front of him. 

Remus slowly looked up to find a short–though she’s leveled with him as he was sitting there–young woman. Her hair was chestnut brown, tousled curls that moved in the cafe drafts alluringly. He swallowed hard at the horrified yet frightening gaze she gave him. 

“Hermione Granger,” she addressed in a low, menacing tone. “I believe that you’re reading my journal.”  

His tongue suddenly felt heavy like lead. “Soulmate...handwriting,” he stammered. “Remus, my handwriting.” 

At the mention of a soulmate, the brunette’s body went rigid; Remus caught her attempting to mask the momentary freeze with a cough. Her nose flared as she snatched the journal from his hands and crossed her arms over her chest in her cream v-neck blouse. “It is  _ rude  _ to infringe someone’s personal property,” she hissed.

“I...was not aware that there was...a spot that…” Remus trailed off awkwardly, the finger he had raised limping over. 

Hermione–her lips pursed– opened the cover of the journal and displayed the backside to Remus. There in their shared handwriting were the words:

_ This journal belongs to Hermione Jean Granger. If found, please use the following information to contact and return accordingly… _

Remus’ face flushed and he glanced at the cafe floor, ashamed that his initial thought wasn’t to look for the information. He lowered his hand completely and cleared his throat.

“S-Sorry,” he stated sincerely. God, if his friends saw this pathetic display, they would slap him, record it, and watch it daily. 

Hermione examined him with narrowed eyes. She took a deep breath, closing and placing the journal in her large handbag. 

“I suppose if you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have a much larger set of circumstances,” she said with a sigh. “That does  _ not  _ mean I’ll condone you invading my privacy in the future.” 

Remus’ eyes widen, his mouth opening slightly in surprise. She wasn’t going to kill him? He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know  _ what  _ he was going to say. 

Hermione didn’t wait for his response and stepped forward, grabbing Remus’ hand and tugging him along. 

“Come on, Remus,” she said, “I have another class in two hours, and we need all of that time to plan.” 

“Plan?” His brows knitted. “Plan what?” 

She gave Remus a pointed look. “Where we go from here,” she answered simply. “If you think that I’m simply brushing off this soulmate declaration, you have another thing coming. I am  _ not  _ a fan of Fate deciding things for me, so when Fate does something like this,” Hermione made a gesture between them, “I am not going to let that tread lightly without a complete evaluation of the situation.” 

Remus was stunned. Surely, he should have crossed paths with this intelligent beauty in front of him, despite the difference of their years. 

He was beginning to drift in his thoughts again, thus he hadn’t noticed that Hermione was guiding him towards the cafe doors, rambling on about the importance of his findings and what it meant about their connections and future in school and after graduation. 

Despite his belief that Hermione was a force to be reckoned with, Remus’ main fear came from the thought that Hermione could stumble upon his rambles in his course notebooks. That would not be cool. 


End file.
